How Benin is coping with an unprecedented influx of Sahel refugees
race against time
Having fled Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria, tens of thousands of forcibly displaced people have arrived in northern Benin. It is a largely overlooked humanitarian crisis that is testing the limits of the community-based reception model adopted by Cotonou. Here is a breakdown in infographics.
“We are used to welcoming Burkinabè people fleeing violence in their country, but since January–February we have seen a noticeable increase in their arrival,” says Abdoulaye Bouakou Gakpe, a leading figure within the Fulani community in northern Benin’s Kandi area. “You can see it in the villages and hamlets where families are hosting them, but you also notice it in health centres, which are struggling to cope.”
Credit: Source link